Castaway Lord of the Bugtypes
by vavvoom
Summary: Erika and Natsume get stranded on a desert island! Grass types on fire! Insults fly! Fish Pokémon are eaten! Will they ever be rescued? And will they ever learn to get along? Bit FemGymShipping. (shoujo-ai) Rated PG-13 for yuri hints and mild language.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Pokemon or any of the characters. SOme Japanese person invented them and made a ton of money, they aren't me! Ha! In my dreams man!! *rolls eyes*  
  
Natsume: Sabrina Channeller, the Psychic Gym Leader of Saffron City  
Erika: Erika (duh) the Grass Gym leader of Celadon City  
  
Kept all of the other names except Natsume's in English, because I couldn't be bothered to go look them all up. I just thought her original name fit her better. ^_^ Now, ON TO THE STORY!!  
  
Castaway (Lord of the Bug-types)  
  
The sea raged around the small island, and a chill, feisty wind blew sand up all around the beach. The palm trees swayed unsteadily in the gale, threatening to be lifted out by their roots. Lightning flashed, lighting up the ocean for a split second, then all was pitch black again. The echoes of thunder rolled over the island and the sound carried for miles around. The rain pattered harshly upon the rocks and sand, itself sounding like a roar. Wave after wave crashed against the shore, sending up a salty spray that was just as swiftly carried off by the wind. In a cave almost half a mile off the coast, two figures sat, huddled around a dwindling fire.  
  
Natsume, the second most powerful Gym leader, scowled to herself. "A fine situation you've gotten us into, Erika." Her icy blue eyes surveyed the landscape around them; still unbelieving that this was actually happening. "This is just...too perfect for words."   
  
The smaller girl self-consciously ran fingers through her hair, while poking the fire with a small stick. "It wasn't all my fault, Natsume, you were the one who...who...SANK THE STUPID SHIP!!!" she yelled, finally losing her composure. Natsume suddenly stood up, giving Erika such a fierce look that she was at loss for words. The fire's light made her seem even more frightening.  
  
Her steely gaze pierced into Erika's, and the poor girl had to look away. The fire danced across the Psychic's features as she struggled to control her temper. "Well, we got a lifeboat, didn't we?? Besides...if someone hadn't purposely been...PROVOKING me..."  
"Provoking you?"  
Natsume's eyes narrowed. "Exactly..."  
"How did I provoke you!? I was simply asking if you knew where we were! Obviously you didn't, because now we're HERE!"  
  
The psychic's temper exploded, and the nearby fire followed suit, spraying the cave with sparks and then finally dying away to pitch-black darkness. "See, look, you did it again." Natsume growled, pulling her messed hair behind her.  
"I did not! You did that yourself!"  
"Did too!"  
"Here we go again..."  
After another brief argument, the cave was silent (and still pitch black) for a very long time. Finally, Erika spoke again, "Don't you have some kind of, um, light-power or anything?"  
"Shut UP, Erika."  
"What?"  
"Stupid questions!! I can't stand them!! And NO I don't have any damn light powers, what the hell does LIGHT have to do with PSYCHIC!?"  
"How should I know??"  
Natsume chuckled. "Oh yes, I almost forgot the fact that you are a total ignoramus." She gasped. "Wait, I think I might be able to..." A small glow appeared in her hands. For about two seconds, the cave was illuminated by a Pokéball. Then, all was dark again.  
  
"Hey, you had it! But...why did you turn it off?" squealed Erika. "Why did you turn it off?"  
Natsume growled. "Didn't I tell you to shut up!?" Grumbling to herself, she reached out and grabbed her Kadabra. "Kadabra, FLASH attack, now!"  
  
"AAAAA!!!!!! NATSUME, NOOOOOO!!"  
  
FLASH! 


	2. Chapter 2

The cave was lit so brilliantly that everything went white. Both girls were temporarily blinded. Natsume covered her face with both arms. "OK! OK! OK! ENOUGH ALREADY!!"  
  
Kadabra stopped, making a disappointed sound. Natsume swung her arms blindly, grabbing for her Pokémon. "Get back in your ball, you stupid animal!!"  
Kadabra dodged away from her and teleported behind Erika. "Kadabraaaaaa!!" He stuck out his tongue.  
"Ooooooooooooh..." growled Natsume, slowly regaining her sight. "Don't make me hurt you!!"  
Kadabra threw its spoon at her head. Natsume's eyes burned red and Kadabra fell on the floor, twitching. "AAAaargh!!!" it screamed.  
  
The Psychic Gym Leader recalled her Pokémon and growled at the dark cave.  
Erika laughed. "That was a good try. Cute." Natsume muttered something under her breath. "Have any better ideas, Miss Perfume-stanching Bean-headed, dirt-covered..."  
"Now that's getting personal, Natsume.."  
"Your point being...?" The slender brunette sighed, and shook out her mane of long, dark hair. "I'm sorry. Ok, I said it. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!!" She trembled a little as she said the words. "That's what you wanted isn't it? You want me to grovel and beg forgiveness?"  
  
Erika shuffled closer to Natsume's voice. "No, that's not what I wanted at all, Natsume. I'm sorry too. I suppose...I suppose I did provoke you." She blindly reached out her palm and found Natsume's shoulder.   
Natsume flinched at her touch. "I..I... Oh dammit." Natsume pulled away. "I'm useless. I...put everyone I danger, and now I can't even teleport us back. It's much to far...And I have no idea where we are, or how to survive here...We might even just die here..." A tear slid down her cheek, unnoticed by Erika because of the darkness.   
  
Still, the younger Gym Leader crept closer to the other, until she was leaning on her. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Natsume...it could have happened to anyone...I know powers like yours must be a little hard to handle."  
Natsume shuddered again. She decided to stick with the offensive. "Are you saying I can't even control my own powers?" Even thought the Psychic knew she didn't mean it that way, she had no intention of losing face by acting all mushy at a time like this.  
  
The Grass Gym leader hung her head. "Actually, I meant that anyone could have lost their temper...As someone often does.." she mumbled. "...But I was trying to say that many people do that, even me!" she said quickly, before Natsume could retort anything back.  
Natsume nodded. "Well, since we're here, we might as well make the best of it, I guess...And we'd better get some sleep. It's got to be at least midnight by now..." she groaned.   
Erika frowned as she patted the cold, rocky floor of the cave. "Oh dear..." she muttered. She called out her Gloom. "Gloom, would you do something about the floor, please?" Her Gloom happily complied, and scattered soft petals all around the cave, creating a soft, sweet-scented cushion. "Glooooom.."  
  
Natsume smiled to herself. 'How typical..' she thought. She called out her Kadabra. "Kadabra, use Flash again...WAIT! But this time, not so bright! Just enough so me can see our hand in front of our faces...Yes, that's just about right. Thing you can keep that up all night? Great, thanks."  
  
Her Kadabra pouted and bent its into a double knot. Erika giggled at the other trainer.   
"You see, we're learning to get along already! Hehehe.." she fluffed up a pile of petals and lay down, pulling some of Gloom's own large petals over her as a very tiny blanket. Natsume laughed at the funny sight, tossing a few petals over Erika. "Hey!" laughed the short-haired girl. She tossed more petals in Natsume's direction. A petal fight soon ensued. Natsume grinned, thinking 'SO much for getting any sleep tonight..." 


	3. Chapter 3

Later that night, both girls were dozing off on the cave floor. Natsume however, was having a very restless sleep. Moaning, she tossed and turned until she bumped into Gloom, who was snoring next to Erika.  
"G-Glooooooom?" it groaned sleepily. It noticed Natsume and frowned even more. It whapped her with a large petal to knock her away, then fell asleep on Erika's arm again. Natsume rolled over again and hit Gloom. Gloom got angry. This time, it bound her up with vines, checking to make sure they were quite tight, and then snuggled back with Erika. Natsume began to have nightmares about being strangled by a huge doll. "N-no...Stop...h-help...me..." Gloom growled and tightened the vines to shut her up.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAA HELP!!" she screamed loudly, waking up everyone in the cave (including herself). Erika rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around the cave worriedly. "What? What's the m…Oh GLOOM!! What are you doing!?"  
Erika pulled the vines off of a now very embarrassed Natsume, who started rubbing her throat as soon as her arms were untangled. "Uh, thanks."she muttered. "Nice pet you got there." she added, glaring at Gloom.  
  
"I am so sorry...I've never seen it act like this...GLOOM!! You should know better than that!!"  
Gloom pouted and tried to explain. "Gloooom Glooom glooo..." Erika waved for it to stop. "Yeah yeah, that's what you ALWAYS say, Gloom."   
The short-haired girl turned back to Natsume. "Are you...Ok??"  
  
Natsume chuckled, a laugh without any humor in it. "Yes, as ok as one usually is after being strangled. See, this is why I hate Grass-types!" Gloom stuck its fat tongue out at her. Erika rolled her eyes. "Well, you sure have a way with Pokémon. No wonder they all love you." Natsume stood up silently and looked outside the cave entrance.   
"Natsume?"  
"It's practically morning. We'd better look for something to eat, and maybe build a better shelter. At least the rain stopped." She replied monotonously. Erika wasn't sure, but she had the feeling Natsume was hiding something. The way she spoke, it sounded as if she was somewhere far away, not all there.   
She shrugged it off and got up too. "I guess we could start by kind of scouting around...you know, getting to know the island!" she suggested.   
Natsume looked over her shoulder at her. "You sound happy about our situation, Erika. I'm not sure about you, but being stranded in the middle of nowhere with YOU is not my idea of fun."  
  
Erika ignored that last comment. "Let's go, who knows when another storm might start. I'm starving. I have an idea, how about I find some stuff to cook, and make a breakfast for us? In the meantime, you could go for a little hike and find out more about our island. When you come back, we can eat and figure out what we want to do next."  
  
Natsume considered. "Hmmm...I...I'm not sure if...Well, fine if that's what you want. I'll take my Pokémon with me..."she replied picking up her Pokéballs. "See you in about an hour or two." She walked away and down to the beach. Erika watched her for about 10 or 15 minutes until she turned away from the coast and went into the forest area. "Well, there she goes. Ok, Gloom, lets see what we have to work with here..." 


	4. Chapter 4

Natsume wiped a bead of sweat off her brow. The heat of day was already getting to her, and the fact that all she had to wear was a stiff, red dress and black boots didn't help. "Oh man, what are we gonna do about clothes!? I guess we'll have to wash them in the ocean...Gross, it'll get all crusty with SALT! I really loathe my life sometimes..."   
  
She impatiently shoved by rows of overgrowth and vines. She had decided to climb up to the top of the island, in order to get the best view. Unfortunately, the higher she climbed, the thicker the bushes and trees grew. "Wait, what am I doing?" she thought suddenly. She closed her eyes and teleported to the top. When she opened her eyes, she was rendered utterly speechless. "W..Wow..." she managed to gasp. The island was green and wild, and full of amazing greenery. To her right, there were some reddish-orange peaks poking up out of the ground, and even within a jumping distance there were several smaller islands of rock jutting up roughly from the water. Fruit trees were growing in abundance near her, and she could see several species of wild birds on many of them. She lowered her gaze to the sandy beach, which seemed to sparkle with a million little diamonds every time the crystal water pulled up. It was...so terrible to be lost here, but also so perfect...  
  
After a moment of awe, the heat, which was much worse at the highest point of the island, came back to her. "Crap..." she muttered, wiping strands of matted hair out of her eyes. "I guess I better get back down to Erika..." she muttered, teleporting back in a flash of blue light.  
  
Erika finished setting some chopped vegetables and powders on a flat rock. "Ok, Gloom, I'm going to mix this stuff, could you keep the fire going? But don't get as close as last time, you nearly got us ALL in flames...AAAAAAAAAAA!! I SAID NOT SO CLOSE!!!! WATER!! WATER!!" Erika screamed. Gloom ran in circles, catching all the nearby Grass Pokémon on fire too. "OH GLOOOM!!!!! NOT AGAIN!!" she cried, desperately trying to put out the flames on her other Pokémon by throwing sand at them. It was a rather good, but unsuccessful try.  
  
The sight that met Natsume when she arrived was not a pretty one. Screaming, flaming Pokémon running all over the beach, and Erika tossing sand everywhere like an angry gorilla. As soon as the Grass Trainer spotted the other girl, she ran over to her in tears. "Natsume do something, it's the third time this morning!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!! I had a really nice breakfast almost ready but now Bellossom and Tangela just KNOCKED OVER THE STUFF and everything is on FIRE and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!" she cried hysterically.  
  
Natsume closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. "Well, first things first..." she replied, giving a flick of the wrist with her right hand. All the burning Pokémon were lifted high into the air, and tossed into the ocean. "NOOOOOO!!!" Erika screamed, running after them. She quickly recalled them into their respective Pokéballs, giving Natsume a very dirty look.  
  
"Hey, they're not 'flambé' anymore are they?" laughed Natsume. "SO, I guess that's what our breakfast was gonna be?"  
Erika sniffed, pointing to some smoldering leaves, vegetables, and various fruits that had been burned, trampled, and sanded during the chaos. "Mmm, tasty." said Natsume sarcastically.  
  
"We had to hike for 7 whole MINUTES to get all those fruits, and most of them are poisonous!" exclaimed Erika. Natsume's eyes widened. "And you were going to..??"  
"Of course we weren't going to eat them like THAT! I was trying to cook them, except that some Pokémon are just arsonists at heart!" she growled, shaking one of the Pokéballs in her hand. A feeling of tremendous shame crept upon her and she bent her face down so Natsume couldn't see her eyes. "I...tried to do something...so simple as a meal...and I ruined everything..." she shook as she spoke, and a small tear trickled down her face. The Psychic was taken aback, and didn't quite know what to do. She pulled the smaller girl into an clumsy hug.   
"It's....ok...Don't worry about it." she replied.  
Erika pulled back and wiped her tear away. "All my life I've been taught about good manners and gentleness and now...I'm like stuck in some wannabe 'Lord of the Flies' novel or something... And for the last two years my mother has been teaching me cooking and other skills so that I can be more eligible to be a wife... Natsume, this was my first test, and I blew it. Completely..."she sobbed into Natsume's shoulder.  
  
Natsume closed her eyes and smiled. "Then, I suppose it's up to my Pokémon and I to show the ropes...Watch and learn from a pro." 


	5. Chapter5

The Psychic called her Pokémon out of their Pokéballs. "Alakazam, Golduck, Hypno, go to the edge of the water there at the beach. Get some fish, make sure they're big!" She turned to Jynx and Mr. Mime. "You two, clean up this mess and get a REAL fire going." she ordered.  
  
Alakazam and the rest trotted down to the beach. Alakazam and Hypno stayed at the shore, while Golduck leaped into the water. Erika tried to hold onto a few shreds of her dignity by saying, "Ha, I'd like to see how they are going to bring anything suitable for eating.... those two can't even swim, HAHAHA!!" she laughed nervously. Natsume only smiled smugly and went back into the jungle with Abra and Kadabra.  
  
Alakazam and Hypno lifted their hands slowly into the air, and one by one, several Magicarps, Goldeens, Seakings, and even a Gyrados and a Blastoise were pulled out of the water, kicking and spitting! Alakazam and Hypno hovered them high over the sand, while Golduck came out with three Krabbys in his claws (They were floated up to join the rest in the air.) Natsume, Abra and Kadabra came back, holding some halved coconuts that would serve as bowls. All this happened in about 5 minutes. Erika could only stare with open-mouthed shock.  
  
Natsume smiled at her. "There's a reason why I'm the second most powerful Gym Leader. Hey, don't look so glum, we're gonna share with you!" She looked up at the large shadow of Pokémon floating in the sky. "Whoa, they've really outdone themselves! That's probably enough to last for 10 years! No matter..."she said, the suprised look fading from her eyes. "Mr. Mime, could you please be a dear and make a wall to contain them in? Thank you." Mr. Mime built a barrier around the Pokémon, and it was lowered to the ground near the large bonfire he and Jynx had built.  
  
Erika tried to mouth words, but none came out. Finally, she croaked, "Natsume...I..." Natsume silenced her with a wave of her hand. "Not now Erika, we have some dirty work to do. Ever cleaned, scaled, and gutted a Gyrados? Messy business." She looked up at the 'box' containing the water types.   
"Hey, look, we've got a Blastoise! Don't find them often in the wild...Hey, here's an idea. Let's keep it in case a certain Gloom gets feisty and decides to toast us all again, shall we?" she said with a wink in Erika's direction. But as soon as she had said it, she knew Erika was not in the mood for jokes. "Sorry..." she muttered awkwardly. "Well then, c'mon guys, let's get to work. Erika, are you ok?"  
  
Erika nodded jerkily. Natsume knew she was far from ok. Even though she could have found out why in a millisecond by simply reading her mind, she decided perhaps Erika deserved some privacy. Erika slowly backed towards the edge of the palm tress. "I...I need a little time to myself, Natsume...Please excuse me. I'm sorry I can't help to clean the fish, but...I really...I can't..." she spun on her heels and dashed into the cover of the tropical forest.   
  
Natsume watched worriedly. Her conscience told her that it wasn't only the fish guts that were bothering the that girl. However, she knew from personal experience that time spent alone with oneself was invaluable, and she knew how angry she got when someone interrupted her solitude when she was seeking it. Therefore, she decided to leave her be, at least until the food was ready. She sighed and stared at the tons of fish, and ant the bonfire, then back at the fish. "I've just decided, maybe we should just have sushi..." 


	6. Chapter 6

Erika ran past the small shrubs and bushes lining the outside of the forest, and into the deeper growth. Vines barred her path but she brushed past them, climbing over low branches and ignoring the stabbing pain in her sides. She ran until she couldn't breathe anymore, and simply collapsed onto the ground. A Pokéball fell out out of her pocket, and released the monster inside. Erika dragged herself into an upright position, holding tightly onto the mossy trunk of a tree.   
"Why..." she choked. Why do I feel this way? Why am I crying? She cried freely now, her tears sliding down her cheeks and dripping into the soft, sweet smelling earth beneath her.   
  
::I don't understand what's happening to me...::  
  
She felt a warm nuzzle at her side, and turned back from the tree. "Oh Gloom, I'm so sorry I yelled at you..." Erika picked up her Pokémon and petted it in her lap. "Everything I do is a catastrophe. Why can't I do anything right for once? Natsume... Natsume must think I'm such a disaster." she sniffed, looking at the ground. Gloom shook its head sideways. "Gloom gloom..." It gave her a tight hug to reassure her. Erika pulled her arm up and wiped her face dry of her tears.   
"Thank you. You're really sweet, Gloom. But how can I make it up to her? What if I just make things worse?" Gloom shook its head again and began to pull Erika back towards the beach. "Wait, not yet Gloom. I have an idea." She walked further away into the forest, and Gloom followed curiously. Erika smiled and began picking some brightly-colored flowers. "We'll at least be able to make a nice centerpiece or something." she giggled. "Gloom Gloom!" replied the Pokémon in agreement.  
  
Natsume washed her hands in a pool of rainwater that had collected near their cave. At least the messiest part, cleaning and gutting the Pokémon, was done. Now the only had to cook everything over the fire....She reminded herself never to get stranded on a desert island again. And with Erika of all people... Her Alakazam was listening to her thoughts, and tilted its head quizzically.   
  
"Oh, it's not that I hate her or anything." sighed the Psychic girl.  
"No, in fact, that may be the problem." The Spoon Bending Master shook it's head and frowned.  
  
::'What a complex person you are. Stop and listen to yourself. You're making no sense..':: it seemed to be saying.   
  
Natsume gave her Pokémon a long, hard look. "Of course you wouldn't understand, you're just a Pokémon!" she scoffed. "Sure, you can learn about fighting and battles and obeying commands, but how could you possibly ever learn feelings? Especially difficult human feelings..."  
  
Alakazam snorted and made a rather smug face. ::'Isn't that what YOU have done in the last year? I seem to remember a certain girl who had no feelings at all...::  
  
Natsume scowled. "That was a VERY long time ago!"  
Her Pokémon smiled a little. ::'And is it not possible that you are still learning to sort through some feelings?'::  
Natsume nodded. "I suppose it is possible..."  
The Pokémon sat back and closed its eyes, folding its legs underneath it, in a meditating pose. ::'Then perhaps the best help you can get is from a little girl...the child in you, Natsume. Always remember your inner self. She's the only one who can understand your feelings.'::  
  
Then, it teleported off, probably to the top of the mountain to meditate, thought Natsume. "Thank you." she whispered. 


	7. Chapter 7

She walked back to the beach, where her Pokémon and even some of the braver Grass types were starting a kind of barbecue. It smelled wonderful already, but something was missing. Natsume looked around in the darkening landscape. Hadn't Erika returned yet? Her senses told her she was nearby, but she couldn't spot her anywhere. She was about to go search for her, when all of a sudden...  
"Natsume! I'm back! I'm sorry I took so long, but look what we brought!" Erika cried as she and Gloom came out of the forest, carrying armfuls of flowers. She picked a whitish-blue rose out from the others, setting them on the ground. She wrapped the Psychic girl in a hug, and handed her the rose. "Can you believe these grow in a rainforest?" she laughed. "There's such variety here, I don't know half of these."  
  
Natsume was still trying to take in the first words, but Erika continued to chatter like a gossipy young girl talking about some guys she had seen at the mall. "And there was a huge bush of tulips...that's right, TULIPS! I don't know how that happened, but they were in all different colors, there was red, orange, yellow, GREEN, even blue and purple!" she cried excitedly, holding her hands up to her face. "And that's not all, we saw at least 12 or 13 new varieties of lily!!" Gloom nodded. "And there's bananas, plantain, coconuts, berries, roots, mushrooms, and all kinds of other stuff to eat near the top! Plus there's grass to braid and make baskets, flowers to smell, sap to tap..."  
  
Natsume blinked. "Ok..." she shook her head as if to clear it. "Well, we're ready to cook the fish. Jynx had a good idea, we could put some large rocks into the fire for a few minutes, then cook the food on there so it won't be so flammable. Everything but the Gyrados, we set up a spit for that." she said, pointing to the speared Gyrados being rotated above the fire. "Oh, and...thanks for the flower."  
  
Erika smiled sweetly. "You're welcome! We also brought more for braiding and stuff. Ever learn how to make a daisy crown?" Natsume shook her head slowly. "What is a..."  
"Ooooh!" the smaller girl squealed. "Can I make you one to show you!?" The Psychic smiled weakly. "S-sure.."  
Natsume and the Pokémon set up the stones and started cooking the smaller fish, while Erika busily gathered flowers from her pile and started weaving them together. Gloom and Alakazam were talking to each other in their own strange languages. Natsume had just finished putting a few finished pieces of fish onto some leaves/plates, when she felt something light and soft fall over her eyes.   
  
"Wha...hey what is this...???" she stammered, struggling with the object. She could hear Erika giggling behind her. When she finally got it off, she turned the object over in her hands in the light of the fire. It was a band of flowers, intricately braided into a crown. Natsume did something rare. She started to laugh.   
"You scared the hell out of me...I thought that was some kind of huge insect of something wrapping itself around my head."  
Erika laughed too. "It looks really pretty on you, but I think it's a little big!" She burst into a fit of giggles again as Natsume tried to wear it without it slipping over her eyes, but it was impossible. Eventually, she just let if hand over her eyes, like a decorated blindfold. "It's too dark to see anyway!" 


	8. Chapter 8

Twilight had fallen, and even though the sky was not completely dark, the stars were already beginning to come out. All the Pokémon and their owners had eaten their fill, and there was still plenty left. The Pokémon set to work taking away the leftovers and putting them into storage in the cave, while Natsume and Erika huddled around the sparking, glowing coals left from the once roaring fire. Natsume sighed. "Even though it's only our second day, it feels like we've been here for weeks already." she stoked the coals with a long Gyrados bone. Erika nodded. "I'm even beginning to get used to the idea of living here."  
  
Natsume was about to reply, when something behind Erika caught her eye. She gasped and ran past Erika to the shore of the beach. " A SHIP!! A SHIP!! LOOK!!" she cried, waving her arms. A small gray dot near the horizon was passing their island. Natsume could barely make out a tiny smokestack at the top. Erika ran to the other girl's side. "HEY!! HEY!! OVER HERE!! HELP!! HELP!! WE'RE STRANDED!!" A loud honk came from the boat, echoing along the waters. Erika screamed and jumped up and down, throttling the other girl in happiness. "THEY SAW US!! WE'RE SAVED!! YES!!"  
  
Natsume gave a faint smile, but her expression quickly faded to worry. "Then why are they still going the wrong way?" she asked quietly. Erika froze, staring at the passing ship. "No!! WAIT!! COME BACK!! PLEASE!!" she ran forward into the water, not caring if her kimono was totally soaked. She waded after the ship until her clothes were so waterlogged, she couldn't swim any farther. Eventually, she needed Natsume's help to get back on land. Both girls stared at the ship as it sailed farther and farther, finally only a tiny dot on the blue water.  
  
"Erika...You know, we might be stuck here a very long time."  
  
Natsume felt extremely desperate now, more afraid than she had ever been in her whole life. If they couldn't be seen even by the rare passing of ships, what other hope was there? Erika's eyes looked very stressed, and she was trembling slightly. Natsume sat next to her on the sand. "Don't worry. We'll have another chance." she said, her words denying her own fears.  
  
Erika looked up. "Hey, remember that book I mentioned earlier, 'Lord of the Flies'? To get rescued, they boys kept a large fire going all the time at the top of the island, like a beacon for passing ships to see. We could do the same thing!" Natsume considered.   
  
"I guess that's our best option. But I also seem to remember that we have a little trouble keeping fires, especially when the ones guarding it are so flammable." she replied, trying hard not to sound reprimanding. Erika winced at the thought. "Well, do you have any other suggestions?"  
"Not really." replied Natsume, shrugging.   
"And another thing..." said Erika quietly, almost in a whispered voice. "I forgot to tell you this before at dinner, but Gloom and I saw something strange in the forest..." 


	9. Chapter 9

"We were in a clearing near the top of them mountain. I noticed a pile of shrubbery, pulled up and arranged like a nest. I saw some bluish-green eggs inside, and they were almost as big as my head! All of a sudden, we heard some loud roaring noises. We ran for it, but when we looked back, there was nothing chasing us. I think we might have accidentally broken into a Pokémon's nest."  
Natsume nodded. "That doesn't sound so unusual." Erika lowered her voice even lower and bent towards the other girl.   
"It means...there's some BIG Pokémon on this island. We aren't alone...I believe those were the biggest Pokémon eggs I've ever seen in my life. We have to be careful, Natsume. We were lucky before not to have encountered anything dangerous..."  
  
Natsume laughed airily. "Oh come on, Erika, what are you afraid of? You've got me on your side, there's no Pokémon on Earth that can beat my team."  
Erika huffed. "You might talk if you were in the Elite Four, maybe. Your gym comes right after mine, you know. And if I remember correctly, Giovanni is the most powerful gym leader, not you."  
The Psychic's laugher cut short. "Excuse me, but I have to put restraining collars on my Pokémon so the sissies that flock to challenge me actually stand a chance!"  
Erika rolled her eyes. " Restraining collars! Ha! That's a new one!" Natsume's eyes glowed angrily. "It's true!! It keeps them permanently at level 39!"  
"Well, all this arguing isn't doing anything!" cried Erika, changing the subject. "We still have no fire, and we still have monsters in the forest!"  
  
Natsume sighed and looked at the ground. "You're right. Let's take care of the fire first, it's more urgent. I'll get my Pokémon to take shifts during the night to watch it. If anything happens up there, one of them will teleport here and alert us." She grabbed a burning stick out of the smoldering, red hot coals on the sand and looked back at Erika. "I'll go light it now, I can't teleport another person. You stay here and take care of the other Pokémon and the cave." She hesitated then closed her eyes to leave.  
  
"Wait! Natsume...it's too dark, I think I should come. It's too dangerous there to go alone." said Erika worriedly. Natsume shook her head. "I'm a big girl now, I think I can handle it." She nodded towards the cave. "You go get some sleep. I'll be back soon."  
  
Erika's eyes were still showing her concern. "If you aren't back in thirty minutes, I'm going after you."  
Natsume shrugged. "All right, but it'll take you three times that long just to reach me on foot. But I'll back before then, so stop worrying!" And in a flash of blue light, she was gone. A few chirping noises came from the forest.  
  
Erika sat down on the cool sand, and started counting the seconds. 


	10. Chapter 10

Meanwhile, Natsume found herself at the highest point of the island. It was much different up here at night than during the day, she mused. Instead of the sweltering humidity, it was now actually rather cool and comfortable. She cleared away a large area in the center of the clearing, and built a sort of cone out of sticks, using small twigs and leaves in the center and gradually adding larger branches. She released some of her Pokémon, and had them gather more fuel for the fire. Golduck, who knew CUT, was able to chop up some nice logs to add later.   
  
However, the flame on Natsume's stick had been dwindling, until it was nearly out. She quickly held it into the center of the pile, and the leaves and branches began to spark and crackle. Jynx and Kadabra found some large leaves, and were using them like fans for the fire. The flames spread quickly and soon the fire went to the branches. Natsume smiled at their work and wiped her forehead with her arm.  
  
"That was good work. Kadabra, come with me, we need you to light the cave. Golduck, you have the first shift for about 3 hours. Next, Alakazam, Jynx, and Abra. Keep going in that order until I come tomorrow morning. Be very careful not to let the fire spread to the forest. If anything goes wrong, inform me immediately. I'll be in the cave. Good night!" she waved slightly and disappeared with Kadabra.  
  
::'Is she feeling all right?:: questioned Golduck to the others. Alakazam nodded wisely.   
::'She's just in a strange mood lately.'::  
::'Well duh. She never acts so nice. Did you hear what she said? 'Good work, Good night!' And she's never waved good bye before!':: thought-muttered Jynx.  
  
Mr. Mime clapped his hands. ::'Does that mean we can take these stupid collars off?'::  
Alakazam bent his spoons into double knots. ::'Fat chance, fat boy!'::  
  
Erika finished counting thirty minutes (or at least she thought so, she had rather lost count around 230 seconds.) "Ok, I'm going to go look for her now. It's been plenty of time, since she had her Pokémon to help.." She started off towards the forest, but felt two warm hands squeeze her shoulders. "I thought I told you to go to sleep." nagged Natsume softly.  
  
"AAH!! D-Don't do that!!" stuttered Erika. She sighed, and smiled at Natsume. "I'm not that tired yet. Would you like some tea? I can find something around here..." she gestured towards the flowers at the forest's edge. "Sure, that'd be nice." said Natsume.  
  
Erika started to pick some herbs and flowers, but Natsume stopped her. "No, not plants, not flowers, just tea!!" Erika looked confused. "I AM making tea!" Natsume laughed and shook her hear sideways.   
"No, you're picking things out of the dirt. I thought you said you were making tea?."  
Erika frowned. "What do you THINK tea is made of?"  
"Tea bags, DUH!" replied Natsume. Erika titled her head and gave Natsume a strange look. "You don't get out much, do you? Wow, I thought everyone at least knew how to make tea! And you're supposed to be Japanese?" she replied astounded.  
  
"Ok, fine, make your weird flower concoction. I'm not really that thirsty anymore." she muttered, striding back to the cave. Erika rolled her eyes.   
"I saw that!" said Natsume, with her back to Erika. Erika blinked. "Wha...??" 


	11. Chapter 11

Later...Erika was stirring a bowl suspended over the red coals, which were all that were left from that afternoon's huge fire. She had pushed the coals onto a long flat stone with a stick and carried them into the cave. Kadabra had resumed his place in the middle of the cave, holding a bright ball of light in his spoon that gave the cave a ghostly glow. ::'This is boooring.':: he thought-spoke to Natsume.  
  
::'Well that's too bad. We need the light. And you were naughty yesterday, so I'm not sorry at all.':: she snapped back.  
  
Kadabra glared at her. ::'If I didn't have this collar on...'::  
  
::'Well, you do. Besides, my Psychic powers are still too great for you. But you're a spunky one, and I have to admire that.':: she replied. Kadabra growled.   
  
::'One day I'll grow up to be a huge Alakazam, then you'll be sorry. I'll turn all the Pokémon in the world against you, even the ones you own. I'll have the grandest army on Earth, and then...'::  
  
::'And then you'll wake up.':: laughed Natsume. ::'You've got a lot to learn, but you've still got potential, my friend. In the meantime, you'd better learn to quit whining and just behave yourself!'::  
  
Erika looked at the two of them curiously. "Ah, Natsume, why are you and Kadabra making those weird faces? Are you having a contest?" she giggled.  
  
Natsume was a little startled, having almost forgotten that she and Kadabra weren't alone. "Uh, no. Actually, we were having a highly intelligent conversation. Isn't that right Kadabra?"  
Kadabra scowled up at her. "KaDABRA! Kadabraaaa!" he seethed. Natsume patted his head. "Dumb animals. Gotta love 'em!" she said sarcastically. Erika gave her an uncertain smile. "Yes, well...the tea is ready." Natsume inspected the steaming liquid in the coconut shell. "Well, it does sort of resemble tea... It smells like flowers."  
  
"It's made of flowers...Oh, just try it! How many times to I have to explain it, it IS tea!" Erika moaned. She poured half of the tea into another shell and handed it to Natsume.   
The Psychic took the bowl carefully. "Well, I would be able to sense it if you were purposely trying to poison me, so..." she sipped at the tea. It tasted sweet and faintly of coconut. It reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite place it... "It's...really good." she admitted. Erika sat close to her and smiled. "I thought you'd like it. It's an old family recipe." Her eyes narrowed. "And it IS tea."  
Kadabra snorted behind one of his hands.  
Natsume spun around to face him. "Shut up or I'll pour this on your head." she threatened. She turned back to Erika and smiled sweetly. "Every once in a while, gotta show 'em who's boss, you know?"  
  
Erika sipped her tea slowly. "Don't you think you're a little hard on your Pokémon? You seem awfully strict with them."  
::'Listen to the girl, she's smarter than you!':: cried Kadabra in Natsume's head. Natsume dumped the empty bowl on his head. "I think they deserve everything they get. Especially this one. He needs to learn some manners."  
Erika looked at Kadabra, who looked ready to kill. "I think you don't have very good relations with them. You should really stop being so abusive and try to be friends. That way..."  
"That way they won't obey me!!"   
"Natsume, they already don't always obey you." the other girl pointed out. Natsume groaned. "Now even the little trainers are trying to tell me how to handle my Pokémon. I know what I'm doing, OK?" Erika looked hurt.  
"I'm sorry Natsume. I'm not tying to argue, or make you look bad. I'm trying to help." Natsume sighed.  
"I...I know. I guess I'm just...still very stressed. Don't take everything I say personally." Kadabra huffed. ::'Yeah, really stressed. Just as stressed as ALWAYS.'::  
  
::OH, SHUT UP YOU ANNOYING PIECE OF SH**!:: boomed Natsume's voice in everyone's mind. Both Erika and Kadabra were knocked to the floor, and the entire cave was pitch black. The only audible sound was Natsume's panting, echoing off the walls.  
When the ringing in her ears was gone, Erika finally found her voice. "Ooooooh...oooooooww..."  
Natsume gasped. "I-I'm sorry!! I got a little carried away!! That wasn't aimed at you, Erika...sorry.."  
She recalled Kadabra and took out a Ghastly. The Ghastly glowed purple light, and they were able to see each other again. 


	12. Chapter 12

Natsume bent over Erika, cradling her in her arms. "Are you ok? I'm really, really sorry abut that..."  
Erika blinked, holding her temple. "I'm...seeing spots...dizzy...gah.." Natsume slapped her own forehead. "Yes, that happens sometimes. It should go away in a while..." Finally, Erika's eyes focused onto Natsume's face. "Why...why are you purple??" she asked in confusion.  
  
"Oh, it's Ghastly's light." replied Natsume. There was a brief silence. Erika fidgeted. "Could you...let me go?"  
"Ah..?? OH! Sorry..." Natsume reddened, releasing her grip on Erika's shoulders. Erika gave her a confused look. "Are you blushing?" Natsume shook her head no. "Heh, of course not, why would I be...blushing?" she replied uneasily. Erika giggled. "I didn't know you COULD blush! That's so cute!" Natsume's eyes widened.  
"What!? I am not CUTE!!"  
"Yes you are!" laughed Erika.  
"I am not!!"  
"Especially when you try to act all serious!"  
"Shut up!"  
Erika rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Wait till I tell all the other Gym Leaders! Natsume can blush!" she squealed. The Psychic rubbed her forehead in distress. "Stop tormenting me. Don't think I don't have a few stories of my OWN to tell..." Erika looked up. "Huh?"  
  
The hint of a smirk began to tug at Natsume's lips. "Like the beach-fire and the 'tea' made of plants!" Erika rolled her eyes. "Come on! The fire wasn't my fault! And for the MILLIONTH time, TEA IS MADE OF PLANTS!" She rolled onto the floor on her back, stretching. Natsume looked away hurriedly.   
  
"Tomorrow we can look for the nest! It'll be like a crusade or something! You know, I actually like it here, Natsume. I feel...more at home." Erika sighed happily. "We'll be back soon, I'm sure. But I'll miss it." She looked in Natsume's direction. "And it's a good experience. We already go to know each other better than I ever thought we would." Natsume didn't respond.   
  
She was facing the wall, but she seemed as if she was looking at something very far away in the distance. Erika tilted her head. "Are you ok? You're staring at the wall..." Natsume's eyes flashed blue for a moment, before returning back to normal. She shook her head and gave Erika a confused look.  
  
"H-Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just kinda...having a thought-conversation with my other self." Erika blinked. "And...that's normal for you, right?" she asked. "Of course! Don't you talk to your other self?"  
Erika sweatdropped. "Er, I wasn't really aware I HAD any other self.."  
"Obviously!" responded Natsume. "Who is that little voice in the back of your mind that tell you what to do? When you know you're doing something wrong, that voice tells you to stop. And when you're unsure about something, it shows you what you know you want to do, even if you don't realize it yourself. That's your other self."  
  
Erika looked completely baffled. "You mean...like a conscience?" Natsume nodded. "Yes, something like that." she replied. "Oh..." said Erika. "So...what did you uh, 'think' about.?"  
  
Natsume smiled. "It's personal. Can't talk about it." The smaller girl's curiosity suddenly grew.  
"Oooh, sounds interesting. Is it about someone else?" she gave Natsume a poke.  
"Maybe." replied Natsume, closing her eyes and crossing her arms.  
"It IS?" squeaked Erika. "Oh, who? Who? Who? Who? Tell me!"  
Natsume's eyes snapped open. "I said MAYBE, not YES!"  
"The way you said it, it was so obviously a 'Yes'. C'mon, I'm your friend, tell me!"  
"No!"  
"It's not like there's anyone else I could tell here anyway. Come on, it's just us girls!"  
"Forget it."  
"But I really want to know! Who's your crush? This oughta be interesting!"  
"It's not a...a...crush!! Anyway, why would you care??"  
"Because you made me curious! Now please, tell me!"  
"I said forget it!"  
  
Erika mimicked Natsume and crossed her arms. "We probably have a long time together on this island, you know. I'll find out, somehow." She grinned almost evilly. Natsume glared at her. "You are seriously evil. I don't know how people get the gall to call me a witch when there's people like YOU around."  
  
"Are you saying I'M a witch!?" Erika asked in mock disbelief.  
"Hey, with all your weird potions and tea imitations.."  
"Not with the tea again, PLEASE! Oh, I see, trying to change the subject, are we? Hmm?" Erika cackled. Natsume shook her head. "Really, with that laugh...witch..." she muttered, lying down to sleep.  
  
"Natsume! You still haven't told me!"  
"Go to sleep, DAMMIT!! We have to get up early tomorrow!"  
"Ok, I'll wait till morning, but I'll get you my pretty, and your little secret too!" said Erika, imitating a high-pitched, nasal voice.  
"AAARGH!!" 


	13. Chapter 13

Natsume was totally alone, floating in and endless void of darkness. She curled her naked body into a fetal position, beginning to shiver from the cold. She closed her eyes, but it would not have mattered if they were open. The darkness was so consuming, she could not even see her knees bent up in front of her.   
  
"Natsume..."  
  
A low voice called to her, echoing in her mind. It was a telepathic voice. She covered her head with her arms in a feeble attempt to block it out. She wanted to be alone. This was her sanctuary, nobody could trespass here.  
  
"Natsume...Don't be afraid. Would you block out an old friend?"  
  
The dark haired girl felt a new presence beside her. She opened her eyes, but of course she could see nothing. "Is it...? Alakazam…?"  
  
The psychic Pokémon confirmed her thought. "Yes, it is me." There was a long pause. "You are in danger." Natsume shuddered.  
"I am putting myself out of it."   
  
A wave of extreme frustration radiated from her friend, starling her greatly. Alakazam had never lost his temper before. "You are not helping yourself! Can't you see, you foolish girl? You are the source of all your own problems!" then, sensing he had perhaps been a bit harsh, he added, "And only you can solve them."  
Natsume hugged herself, trying to stay warm. Her body felt cold and limp, she was dying. She felt hot tears sting her cheeks. It was an odd feeling that she had never experienced. "But…I have to destroy my feelings, Alakazam. Lock them away, forget them. They do nothing but cause pain... and anguish. Nobody can understand how I feel. And if I told anyone…"  
  
"How would you know what 'anyone' would think? You do not allow them to see into you. You are an empty person to them. But there is one who can still see beyond your high defenses, Natsume."  
  
Natsume bit her lips, tasting salt. "Leave me." Her mind began to cloud with the same darkness as that surrounding her.  
  
"She won't hurt you, Natsume."  
"Stop, I'll hear no more."  
"Don't push her away. She will help you."  
"Leave me alone!"  
"She can fill you, complete you, you won't be an empty shell any longer."  
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Natsume's voice rang in her own ears, and she realized that she had shouted out loud. Her Pokémon's presence had left.  
  
Suddenly, a sharp bright light pierced the thick fog of darkness, shining boldly upon Natsume's body. It was driving her insane, blinding her, but warming her at the same time... And she needed that warmth so badly…She relaxed herself, and felt the soothing rays thaw out her cold bare skin.   
She felt something warms and soft wrap around her from behind. "Erika..."  
  
Erika didn't say anything, she only held Natsume in her delicate arms, and leaning her head on the other girl's shoulder. She soothed the pain of the coldness, it faded away with each caress. Natsume was suddenly aware that she was still crying. Erika cupped her face in her hands, and wiped the tears away. The longhaired girl let go, loosing herself in Erika's touch. "Erika…" Erika looked up, gazing deep into Natsume's eyes, but she had a very sad look on her face. Natsume put her own arms around the smaller girl and with one hand ran her fingers through her soft hair.  
Erika lowered her head and nuzzled Natsume's neck, then whispered quietly in her ear:  
"Trust me."  
She pulled back slowly, taking Natsume's hand into hers.  
"Please Erika...don't leave me...Don't leave me…" 


	14. Chapter 14

"Please…don't leave me..."  
Erika nudged the sleeping girl. "Natsume, wake up!"  
The psychic opened her eyes slowly. As soon as her vision came back into focus, she jumped. "Oh! E-Erika...I..you...?" The grass gym leader chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Not that I could if I wanted to. We're still stranded, if you recall." Her hair was pulled back into a small bun, and she seemed to be in high spirits as usual. She handed Natsume a coconut bowl. "Here, it's some edible fruits Gloom and I found near the edge of the forest. But we better find some other kinds of food to eat, or else…"  
  
Natsume grumbled. "Or else we'll get sick of eating stupid plants." Erika giggled. "Actually that might also be true, but we'll also probably get a severe case of diarrhea!"   
Natsume handed the bowl back to Erika. "No thank you, plant woman."  
  
Erika pushed the bowl back. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something else to eat, maybe we can get some more fish. And there's also several herbal remedies for diarrhea…"  
"Ok, shut up about the diarrhea!" muttered Natsume. "I'm eating!"  
Erika laughed again. "Bon appetite!" She got up and walked to the other side of their cave. Natsume watched her out of the corner of her eye. Erika came back, holding an bluish-green flat object. "Look what I found this morning when I was getting that fruit."  
Natsume sniffed. "So? It looks like an eggshell." Erika shook her head. "It's not just any eggshell. Look at the size of this thing!! And it's just a small piece of a much bigger egg! But do you know what it means?"  
"It means an omelet for lunch?"  
"Oh come on, Natsume, stop being so sarcastic. Don't you remember the eggs I told you before? It means that they've hatched! Our island is now inhabited by babies of these giant Pokémon!"  
  
Natsume finished eating and stoop up, brushing herself off as she did so. "I still don't see why this is supposed to interest me." Erika tugged the hair band out of her hair, allowing her hair to fall down freely around her face. "But...what if they aren't friendly? What if they eat...people??"  
"That's crazy, no Pokémon on earth eats people. Look Erika, can you stop bothering me? I have other things to worry about right now." She started to leave, but suddenly she sensed something very disturbing. She turned around to look at Erika.  
  
"I understand, Natsume. I bet you have to think about a lot of important things." A tear rolled down her cheek and she ran past Natsume, out of the cave. The psychic watched her with concern. "She's going into the forest again…"  
A voice in her head interrupted her. "Follow her."  
Alakazam nudged her with a spoon. "Go on."  
"Stay out of this. You need to remember your place." She replied.  
Her Pokémon lowered his head in submission. "I'm sorry, you're right."  
"Damn straight. If I had any sense I'd have put a collar on you t- AAH!" she yelled as Alakazam head-butted her out of the cave.  
He sighed heavily in her mind. "It's for your own good..." he said, as he put a barrier around the cave and teleported her to Erika. 


End file.
